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Fall has arrived swiftly this year, with no time to waste following the conclusion of an emotional, thrilling, and brilliant summer. Obviously, the US Open was a particular stand out since I was able to be there in person. The World Games, the Commonwealth Games, and the world championships for swimming and track and field also delivered Olympic-worthy memorable moments!
This weekend is going to be jam-packed. First up, we have the headlining return of Figure Skating and Skiing. On the ice Friday at Skate America (held in Norwood, Mass.!), reigning pairs world champions Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier will return, as will ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates (who did the E.T.-themed routine last year set to Daft Punk). The singles competition will be mostly newcomers, including Ilia Malinin who landed the first-ever quad axel (4-and-a-half rotations) earlier this year. Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou, and Jason Brown are all not competing this fall; neither are Karen Chen, Mariah Bell, and Alyssa Liu, the latter two having retired. The women’s side instead will feature emerging star Isabeau Levito who will need to go up against the likes of Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, the bronze medalist at Beijing. Seasoned skaters Amber Glenn and Gracie Gold will also compete.
Over in the Alps, Mikaela Shiffrin kicks off ski season Saturday with a giant slalom World Cup race in Austria. Hoping to put a heartbreaking 2022 Winter Olympics behind her, the star has said she plans to ski a full season. She currently has 74 total career wins on the World Cup circuit—she needs 87 to be the most winning skier of all time, a feat that’s entirely possible this year. Also on the start list are Sweden’s Sara Hector (who won this discipline in Beijing), France’s Tessa Worley, and Shiffrin’s slalom rival from Slovakia: Petra Vlhova. The men’s race will feature Team USA’s Ryan Cochran-Siegle (a Super-G silver medalist at Beijing 2022), River Radamus (who just missed the podium), and Tommy Ford. Trying to stay on top after an incredible 2021-22 season is Marco Odermatt of Switzerland.
Not ready to admit that winter is coming? That’s fine—the National Women’s Soccer League keeps the heat on as the playoffs continue Sunday. First up are Portland Thorns vs. San Diego Wave followed by OL Reign (Seattle) vs. Kansas City Current. Led by Megan Rapinoe, Seattle’s football club is currently at the top of the standings and took home the Golden Shield earlier this month. Can they emerge victorious this weekend and maintain momentum into the final on October 29? (Signs point to yes!)
Also worth noting are the Breaking World Championships starting on October 21, held this year in Seoul, South Korea. It’s a great opportunity to see what the sport will look like at Paris 2024. On October 22, the #9 UCLA Bruins go against the #10 Oregon Ducks in one of college football’s most highly anticipated match-ups. (Yes, I know American football is not an Olympic sport, but as a UCLA alum I am obligated to mention.)
Looking a little further out, the World Championships in gymnastics are scheduled for October 29-November 6 in Liverpool, England. Team USA will announce its women’s team on Sunday, with the men’s team already selected a few weeks ago. Expect to hear a mixture of names from Tokyo 2020 and some new faces.
Next month will also see the start of the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar. While the location is sure to bring up some interesting commentary on all sides, I’m excited for a globally televised multi-week event. The U.S. are contenders this year, and will begin play in Pool B against England, Wales, and Iran. Our first match is November 21 at 2 PM ET on FOX, against Iran. Global politics aside, I’m very interested to see how this shakes out…especially since the Americans didn’t qualify for 2018—and haven’t been to the quarterfinals since 2002.
It’s turning into another busy time of the year for sports, so I’ll be back soon with another update!
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